Lehman Community Invited to UN Conference Feb. 6

The Lehman College community is invited to attend the United Nation Association’s USA Mid-Atlantic regional conference titled "Year of Change: New Prospects for America at the United Nations." The conference, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Friday, February 6, from 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. in Conference Room Three of the United Nations. Registration deadline is February 1.

The program will begin with a welcome address from Ramu Damodoran, deputy director of Outreach, UN Department of Public Information. Keynote speakers include U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey), who was recently nominated to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (confirmation pending), and Ambassador Susan Rice, permanent representative of the United States to the United Nations (confirmation pending).

The conference will continue with a panel discussion on peace and security with Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz, permanent representative of Egypt to the UN; James Traub, contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and director of Policy of the Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect; and Ambassador Karen Pierce, deputy permanent representative of the United Kingdom to the U.N.

The next panel discussion will focus on human rights, with speakers Craig Mokhiber, former deputy director of the UN Task Force for Action; Joanne Sandler, deputy director of UNIFEM; Shamina Degonzaga, chair of the 2008 DPI-NGO 61st Annual Conference (“Reaffirming Human Rights for All: The Universal Declaration at 60”); and Ambassador Vanu Gopala Menon, permanent representative of Singapore to the UN (confirmation pending).

The program will conclude with a discussion on climate change. Panelists include Tariq Banuri, director of UN Sustainable Development; Bonnie Harken of the Nautilus International Development Corp.; and Heather Kendall-Miller of the Alaska Conservation Foundation.